best claude code plugins 2026
Table of content
by Ray Svitla
there are now over 250 Claude Code skill packages floating around GitHub. most of them are someone’s .claude/ folder copy-pasted into a repo with a README that says “my claude skills.” roughly 30 of them are actually worth installing.
here’s the curated list. I’ve used or reviewed each one. organized by what they actually do, not what their authors think they do.
how plugins work
Claude Code plugins (officially “skills”) live in your ~/.claude/skills/ directory. install them with:
claude skills add <github-url>
they inject instructions, custom commands, and sometimes MCP server configurations into your Claude Code sessions. think of them as personality transplants for your agent. some are brilliant. some will fill your context window with nonsense.
for the full mechanics, see how the plugins system works .
coding — the heavy hitters
anthropic official plugins
the ones Anthropic ships themselves. baseline quality, no surprises.
claude skills add anthropics/claude-code-plugins
claude skills add anthropics/anthropic-agent-skills
→ standard coding patterns, test-driven development, code review workflows. if you install nothing else, install these.
obra/superpowers
the most comprehensive third-party skill library. 20+ battle-tested skills covering TDD, debugging, refactoring, and multi-agent collaboration.
claude skills add obra/superpowers-dev
→ particularly strong on test-driven workflows. the tdd skill alone is worth the install. see superpowers deep dive
.
eyaltoledano/taskmaster
task management inside Claude Code. breaks projects into subtasks, tracks dependencies, generates implementation plans.
claude skills add eyaltoledano/taskmaster
→ closest thing to a project manager living inside your terminal.
ast-grep/ast-grep-marketplace
structural code search and transform using AST patterns. way more precise than regex for refactoring.
claude skills add ast-grep/ast-grep-marketplace
→ when you need to rename every useState hook that destructures exactly two values across 400 files, this is what you want.
boostvolt/claude-code-lsps
LSP integration for Claude Code. gives the agent access to real type information, go-to-definition, find-references.
claude skills add boostvolt/claude-code-lsps
→ stops Claude from guessing at types. which it does. constantly.
web & frontend
browserbase/browser-tools
browser automation skills. page interaction, screenshots, form filling.
claude skills add browserbase/browser-tools
→ pairs well with the Playwright MCP server for full browser agent workflows.
firebase/firebase
official Firebase skills. deployment, Firestore operations, auth management.
claude skills add firebase/firebase
expo/expo-plugins
React Native / Expo development. project setup, component generation, build configuration.
claude skills add expo/expo-plugins
swift & apple development
avdlee/swift-concurrency-agent-skill
Swift concurrency patterns. async/await, actors, structured concurrency. keeps Claude from writing callback hell in 2026.
claude skills add avdlee/swift-concurrency-agent-skill
apple/apple-containers
containerized development for Apple platforms.
claude skills add apple/apple-containers
DevOps & infrastructure
aws-solutions-library-samples/aws-claude-code-plugins
AWS service integration. CloudFormation, Lambda, S3, IAM policy generation.
claude skills add aws-solutions-library-samples/aws-claude-code-plugins
→ saves you from writing IAM policies by hand, which is basically the AWS equivalent of dental surgery.
flanksource/flanksource-mission-control
infrastructure monitoring and incident response skills.
claude skills add flanksource/flanksource-mission-control
czlonkowski/n8n-mcp-skills
n8n workflow automation integration. create and manage automation flows from Claude Code.
claude skills add czlonkowski/n8n-mcp-skills
writing & content
emdashcodes/wp-ability-toolkit & elvismdev/claude-wordpress-skills
WordPress content management. post creation, editing, plugin management.
claude skills add elvismdev/claude-wordpress-skills
→ for when you still run WordPress in 2026 and aren’t ashamed of it.
ai4curation/curation-skills
content curation workflows. research, summarize, organize, publish.
claude skills add ai4curation/curation-skills
productivity & organization
benjaminjackson/reclaim-skills
calendar management and time-blocking integration.
claude skills add benjaminjackson/reclaim-skills
cheolwanpark/personal-curation
personal knowledge management. note organization, tagging, retrieval.
claude skills add cheolwanpark/personal-curation
daymade/daymade-skills
daily workflow automation. morning routines, task prioritization, end-of-day summaries.
claude skills add daymade/daymade-skills
research & analysis
abagames/criticalthink
critical thinking frameworks. forces Claude to consider counter-arguments, evaluate sources, flag assumptions.
claude skills add abagames/criticalthink
→ makes Claude less sycophantic. which is a feature, not a bug.
exa-labs/exa-mcp-server
semantic search across the web. much better than basic web search for research tasks.
claude skills add exa-labs/exa-mcp-server
meta-skills (skills about skills)
composiohq/awesome-claude-skills
a curated directory of claude skills, available as a skill itself. meta? yes. useful? surprisingly.
claude skills add composiohq/awesome-claude-skills
ccplugins/awesome-claude-code-plugins
another aggregator. different curation, some overlap.
claude skills add ccplugins/awesome-claude-code-plugins
what to actually install
if you’re just starting out, here’s the minimum viable plugin stack:
# the essentials
claude skills add anthropics/claude-code-plugins
claude skills add obra/superpowers-dev
claude skills add eyaltoledano/taskmaster
# if you do web development
claude skills add browserbase/browser-tools
claude skills add firebase/firebase
# if you value your sanity
claude skills add abagames/criticalthink
don’t install everything. each skill adds to your context window baseline. twenty skills fighting for attention is worse than three good ones. the context engineering principle applies here: less noise, better signal.
the uncomfortable truth about plugins
most people install plugins to avoid learning how their tools work. you don’t need a TDD skill if you understand test-driven development. you don’t need a code review skill if you know what to look for in a review. the skill just encodes someone else’s checklist.
the best Claude Code users I’ve seen run 2-3 plugins max. some run zero. they write precise CLAUDE.md files instead — instructions tailored to their actual codebase, not generic best practices from a stranger’s GitHub repo.
before you install anything, ask: could I write these instructions myself in 20 minutes? if yes, do that. you’ll understand them better, they’ll fit your project better, and you won’t be dependent on someone maintaining a repo you don’t control.
the principle underneath all of this isn’t Claude-specific: the best automation encodes your understanding, not someone else’s. if you can’t explain what a plugin does without reading its source, you’re outsourcing judgment, not saving time.
how to evaluate a plugin
before installing anything:
- check the repo. is there a SKILL.md? is it well-structured?
- look at the last commit date. abandoned skills rot fast
- read the actual instructions it injects. vague instructions produce vague results
- test it on a real task before committing
want to build your own? see how to write Claude Code skills . honestly, you probably should — even if a plugin exists for what you need.
Ray Svitla stay evolving